Italian Air Force EC-27J JEDI achieves 5000 flight hours milestone in Iraq

Italian Air Force EC27J JEDI
Italian Air Force EC-27J JEDI (Jamming and Electronic Defense Instrumentation).

At the beginning of February 2021, an Italian Air Force EC-27J JEDI belonging to the Albatros Task Group reached the milestone of 5,000 flight hours in Iraq. It began operating in the area, under Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), on August 10, 2016. To date, it has provided approximately 210 days of uninterrupted coverage of the Iraqi skies, with over 1,000 sorties flown against the DAESH.

The EC-27J JEDI (Jamming and Electronic Defense Instrumentation) is the Electronic Warfare variant of the C-27J Spartan transport aircraft. It was developed to conduct surveillance, protection and support missions in the electromagnetic spectrum. In detail, the JEDI is able to cover a wide range of missions such as countering the electromagnetic threat, contributing to the fight against Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and remotely piloted aircraft and supporting Personnel Recovery operations.

Italian Air Force EC27J JEDI

From an operational point of view, the subsystem of the EC-27J has been patented by the Italian Air Force. The Re.S.T.O.G.E. (Reparto Supporto Tecnico Operativo Guerra Elettronica – Electronic Warfare Technical Support Department) has developed a special "roll-on/roll-off" equipment mounted on standard NATO pallets that allow the aircraft to be reconfigured in the JEDI variant.

It is a unique platform of its kind, whose capabilities are highly valued by the Coalition as it is the only non-US system specialized for Electronic Support and Protection missions.

The operational use of the JEDI began with the ISAF Operation in Afghanistan and, following the brilliant results achieved, continued in support of OIR.

The EC-27J JEDI is a twin-engine "turbo propeller" with the latest generation "glass cockpit" avionics, with Night Vision Goggles capability and is equipped with a modern self-protection suite.

Written by Matteo Sanzani
Source, Images: Italian Air Force

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